Posted in Why I Left the Mormon Church, tagged bible, false Jesus, false prophets, Jesus, joseph smith, lds church, leaving Mormonism, mormonism, race problems within Mormonism on 04/14/2011| 13 Comments »
Why I Left the Mormon Church
This article is in response to something I watched on YouTube. The little snippet reminded me of the horrible behavior problem I had as a member of the LDS Church. As you already know, Mormon testimonies mimic each other as do the attacks against those who’ve left when they find truth.
Posted in Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged bible, Book of Mormon, By their fruits you shall know, false gospel, grace, Jesus, joseph smith, lds church, mormonism, salvation on 04/14/2011| Leave a Comment »
April 14 – Matt. 7:20-3; “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
Posted in Jesus, Mormon Jesus, tagged bible, Gordon Hinckley, grace, Jesus, lds church, Living Hope Ministries, mormonism, Redeemer, The Bible vs. The Book of Mormon, works based salvation on 04/14/2011| 4 Comments »
Jesus of the Bible and Jesus in Mormonism; Not the Same Christ
The week after Thanksgiving is always the same for our family. We always find ourselves basking in the joy of having full tummies of good food and warm fellowship with other Christians. The “busy season” is upon us as we rush to the umpteenth performance of our children’s rendition of Pachelbel Canon at the local schools and clap wildly just like we did the first time we heard it.
Full tummies and scratchy orchestra performances are the blessings making our lives joyful, while knowing they are from the one and only God. With that in mind let us turn our attention to the greatness of our Lord, our God and Savior, Christ Jesus; let us pause for a moment and think upon nothing and no one, save Him only.
Posted in Mormon Jesus, tagged bible, false prophet, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus is God, joseph smith, lds church, mormons, Redeemer, salvation on 04/13/2011| Leave a Comment »
Jesus is the Only Way
By Melissa Grimes
I recently come upon this quote by Gordon B. Hinckley:
“Just as our Redeemer gave His life as a vicarious sacrifice for all men, and in so doing became our Savior, even so we, in a small measure, when we engage in proxy work in the temple, become as saviors to those on the other side who have no means of advancing unless something is done in their behalf by those on earth” (“Closing Remarks,” Ensign, November 2004, 105).
The idea that we have the power to save someone, in the eternal sense is blasphemy. We don’t have the power to do that, only Jesus does. You don’t need someone to do Masonic temple rituals for you in the LDS temple.
Posted in Mormon Jesus, tagged bible Jesus Christ, Jesus, Joseph Smith influence, lds church, mormons, salvation, Savior on 04/13/2011| Leave a Comment »
Jesus; Did He Claim to be God?
Mormons hold to the faith that Jesus is not God. Mormons believe that God came down from the heavens one evening, and being an exalted man, had sex with Mary so she could conceive Jesus (Mormon Doctrine of Deity, pg. 264).
Posted in Children of God, tagged adoption, spirit children on 04/13/2011| Leave a Comment »
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” John 1:12
When I tell people who are unaware that two of my three boys are adopted they’re often curious about the process, and the reasons behind our choice to adopt. Being an adoptive parent has taught me many things, but most of all its taught me about love. I love all my boys the same, and I couldn’t imagine our family without them. Adopting my children has also given me an incredible picture of adoption from God’s point of view.
Posted in Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged baptism for the dead, Christ, Corinthians, Jesus, Mormon temples, Moronism, resurrection, salvation, Savior on 04/13/2011| Leave a Comment »
April 13 – 1 Cor. 15:16, 29; “For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?”
Posted in Mitt Romney 2012, tagged Mitt Romney 2012, United States Presidency on 04/12/2011| 23 Comments »
This was originally posted in April 2011 and we thought you’d like to take a look at the voting results!
Well here we are again talking about Romney and the campaign for the highest office in the United States of America. Mr. Romney announced that he has officially put an exploratory committee together to look into the possibility of running.
If you’d like some insight as to what this guy believes just take a look around our site here and it’ll give you a good idea. Should we be voting for someone like this to run the most powerful country in the world?
What if the Mormon prophet/president had a revelation to bring back polygamy? In order for Mr. Romney to obtain salvation he would have to obey.
In the last run for the presidency, Mike Huckabee correctly questioned the Jesus of Mormonism being the brother of Lucifer. Mr. Romney’s response was to skirt the issue and talk his way around it. One has to wonder why he wouldn’t admit this can be found in the LDS scripture Moses 5:13. http://lifeafterministry.com/2011/01/13/jesus-and-lucifer-brothers/
Posted in Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged false gospel, forgiveness, gospel, Jesus, mormonism, Redeemer, Reformation, Restoration, salvation, truth on 04/12/2011| Leave a Comment »
April 12 – Acts 3:19-20; “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you”.
Posted in Witnessing Tip of the Day on 04/11/2011| Leave a Comment »
April 11 – Matt. 28:19-20; “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”
_____
The great omission of the Great Commission is to not obey. While the Mormon Church goes all out on their missionary program they are not observing the most significant of commandments that Jesus gave them, and that is to tell the truth of all things.
_____
“Point 14. The true church must be a missionary church. Matt. 28:19-20.”
Posted in Witnessing Tip of the Day on 04/10/2011| Leave a Comment »
April 10 – Amos 3:7; ‘Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.’
_____
God certainly spoke to His people through the prophets during the Old Testament times. However, Jesus told us in John 15:15 that because He now calls us friends He lets us know all things from the Father. We now have direct access to God through Jesus Christ because of His shed blood.
_____
Point 13. ‘The true church must claim revelation from God. Amos 3:7.’
Posted in Glenn Beck on 04/06/2011| Leave a Comment »
That’s what ABC is reporting today. http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=13310107
My response? It’s about time and I pray it’s true! According to Fox, the ratings dropped with the advent of an ad boycott. The last thing we need in America right now is another person on television touting half truths.
For more insight on Beck & Christianity read our article about Beck being honored at Liberty University here.
Posted in Mormon Temples, Temple Ceremonies, tagged bible, false doctrine, Jesus, joseph smith, Masonic markings, Mormon Temple Ceremonies, Mormon Temple clothing, secret handshakes, secret oaths on 04/05/2011| 16 Comments »
Temple Ceremonies and the Clothing
By Melissa Grimes
My journey out of Mormonism began with the Mormon Temple. One night my husband was watching a documentary on Freemasonry and noticed how similar their temple rites were to those we participated in at the Mormon Temple. At this point of my Mormon experience I had doubts off and on about the validity of Joseph Smith’s claims yet never delved into any serious research. I was simply content in my ignorance, as I trusted in the words of the church leaders to quiet my concerns.
Posted in First Vision of Joseph Smith, Joseph Smith & Lucifer Compared on 04/05/2011| Leave a Comment »
All NINE versions of Joseph Smith’s First Vision
by Mark Grote
“As of 1834, Joseph Smith’s first published autobiographical sketch contained no whisper of an event that, if it had happened, would have been the most soul-shattering experience of his whole youth.
Posted in Curse of Cain & the Mormon Church, Racism in the Mormon Church on 04/05/2011| 2 Comments »
Posted in Spirit Babies, tagged godhood, mormonism, spirit babies on 04/04/2011| 7 Comments »
Making Mormon Spirit Babies
By Ed Decker, Saints Alive Ministries
& Michelle Grim, Life After Ministries
From Ed;
Mormons believe that when one becomes a god over his own planet and gets his many polygamous goddess wives they must reproduce spirit children having sex the same way they did on earth [remember, they are physical beings]. But in order to populate a planet like earth, the god-man has a big job cut out for him in the reproducing area. (more…)
Posted in General Conference, General Conference April 2011, tagged false doctrines, false prophets, follow the prophets, General Conference April 2011, mormonism on 04/03/2011| Leave a Comment »
General Conference April 2011
Twice a year General Conference is held at the headquarters of the Mormon Church in Salt Lake City.
General Conference is a series of talks given by LDS leaders throughout the week leading up to the actual weekend of General Conference with the apex of all meetings taking place on Sunday. It’s a time for members to vote on important issues like sustaining a new prophet or apostle or even voting in a new prophecy from the Lord.
Posted in Jesus My Brother on 04/01/2011| 3 Comments »
Jesus My Brother & Butch Cassidy
“A vast difference indeed there is between the respective foundations of the relation; he is Christ’s Father by eternal generation, ours by a gracious adoption; yet even this warrants us to call him, as Christ did, Abba, Father. This gives a reason why Christ called them brethren, because his Father was their Father.” – John 20:17 – Matthew Henry
Growing up in Utah had advantages I still cherish even though I’ve since denounced the belief system. The scenery is drop dead gorgeous and the mountains turn colors as the sun moves overhead. I spent countless weekends with my paternal grandmother who had a passion for driving all over Utah. Our favorite fishing hole was in Thistle (now non-existent and underwater) and our favorite place to pick fruit was from the family’s peach orchards in Springfield and Spanish Fork.
Two of the most memorable weekends I spent with Grandma Tressa were the times she took me down to Circleville and Beaver to visit my Aunt Lula. Lula had some great stories to share with anyone who would listen, and those memories were filled with stories about her parents (devout Mormons) and 12 other siblings, including her brother, Robert LeRoy Parker; aka, Butch Cassidy (known as Roy to family members). I instinctively knew even in elementary school her experiences were something I’d be using later in life.
Back in the mid ‘70’s she ended up writing a book called “Butch Cassidy, My Brother”, written after the famous Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid movie came out in ‘69. In her book she recounted the stories of her brother as a child, the relationship she had with him, his relationship with the rest of the family and his law breaking escapades. Her book has always made me think of the relationship I had as a Mormon with Jesus who I referred to at that time as “my elder brother”. He was someone I knew played an integral part in the family, but truly knowing him was akin to having a relationship with a buzz saw.
What is your relationship like with Him? My aunt Lula didn’t know Butch Cassidy very well because of an age difference, and as a Mormon I used to put Jesus into that same category. Because I had never seen Him, I would never know Him. He was a mystical figure that couldn’t be touched. I always thought I had to be absolutely perfect just as He was. The lofty goals were set way too high and purposefully so by Church leaders.
My main focus as a Mormon became more about the work I had to do for salvation and making sure I attended meetings to learn about Joseph Smith. I knew more about Joseph than Jesus and the older I got the more confused I became. The biggest discovery I made when I left Mormonism is that the more I read the Bible, the less confused I was. Things began making sense and I learned more about Jesus than I ever imagined I could. He became a real person, not only in an historical sense, but a personal one as well.
The Bible taught me Jesus and Lucifer weren’t brothers. It taught me that Jesus is God incarnate, He is the creator of all things, and wasn’t sexually begotten in heaven before the earth was, nor was He sexually begotten through a relationship between God and Mary. Everything I knew about Him was wrong except for where He lived – Israel.
The truth is that Jesus is our brother but only because we’ve been adopted into the family of God. Before we accept Jesus into our hearts as our Redeemer we belong to another family and that is of the devil; there are only two clans you can belong to my friend.
Jesus is the Kinsman Redeemer because He hung on that cross. Whether you choose to accept that or not isn’t relevant to His decision. He did it without your answer because that is what God demanded as a price for sin. Through His sacrifice we become part of His family as it says in Hebrews 2:11-12.
“For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, 12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.“
Your relationship with Jesus can be as real as your relationship is with your own loved one today. If you believe He actually lived, believe His words in the Bible as it states in Hebrews 11:6. Also know that He knew about and loved us individually long before we knew or loved Him.
“We love him, because he first loved us” – 1 John 4:19
He already knows you, knows your heart and wants to hear from you! Romans 5:8 says;
“But God commandeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”.
He’s not waiting for you to already be perfect, He did the work without your perfection. My relationship with Him now is stronger even than that of my own blood brothers ever was or what Lula could’ve ever had with her brother “Butch”.
With Love in Christ;
Michelle Grim
Jude 1:24-25
Posted in Book of Mormon Basics on 04/01/2011| 7 Comments »
Book of Mormon Basics
Approach to the Book of Mormon, p. 16; “The Book of Mormon can and should be tested. It invites criticism, and the best possible test for its authenticity is provided by its own oft-proclaimed provenance in the Old World.” – Hugh Nibley
I wrote an article a few months ago giving a synopsis on the Book of Mormon you can read at ‘And it Came to Pass‘.
My purpose in this article is to look at each of the claims I made in the in the previous one and provide the reader with the references of each. As the quote above says, the Book of Mormon should be tested so that’s what we’re doing here.
I can still remember sitting on my bed as a child and reading my Book of Mormon. I, like thousands of other Mormon children, wanted so badly to know the stories it held, believing it would draw me closer to the Mormon Heavenly Father.
However, the more I read my Book of Mormon the more my mind became clouded with confusion and fatigue. Please, pray for the Mormons with us! Share the things you’ve learned here, and ask for their opinion on it! This way you’re planting seeds through sharing the truth of what God says in His word, and the comparison of things like this.
Archaeology
Overall, I’d have to say the Book of Mormon is a compilation of incomplete stories of fictional wars filled with fictional names of people and places.
Even the LDS Church agrees with this and to date, there hasn’t been one single shred of archaeological evidence found regarding the Book of Mormon. The quote below is only one of dozens of references from Mormon experts who’ve made the same public confession.
Dialogue, op. cit. Summer 1969, pp. 77-78; “The first myth we need to eliminate is that the Book of Mormon archaeology exists…If one is to study the Book of Mormon archaeology, then one must have a corpus of data with which to deal with. We do not…no Book of Mormon location is known with reference to modern topography. Biblical archaeology can be studied because we do know where Jerusalem and Jericho were and are, but we do not know where Zarahemla and Bountiful (nor any location for that matter) were and are…a concentration on geography would be the first order of business, but we have already seen that twenty years of such an approach has left us empty handed.” Mormon Archaeologist Professor Dee. F. Green
Grammar
Whoever wrote the Book of Mormon had horrible grammar, and didn’t know how to spell correctly. Proof of this can be found in the following examples. We’re giving it an “F”. For the sake of brevity, I’ve only listed nine verses.
1 N 22:4; “…the more part of all the tribes have been led away…”
2 N 4:14; “…for a more history part are written upon mine other plates.”
Jacob 5:47; “…I have digged about it…”
Alma 51:33; “…sleep had overpowered them because of their much fatigue…”
Helaman 2:4; “…who was exceedingly expert in many words…”
3 N 7:26; “…thus the more part of the year did pass away.”
4 N 1:27; “…they did deny the more parts of his gospel…”
Mormon 6:11; “…and we having survived the dead of our people…”
Ether 14:7; “…which he did receive great strength to his army.”
Timeframe
The only reliable timeframe with real people, in a real situation is at the beginning, when Jerusalem was under siege c. 600 BC. Notice how this is diametrically opposed to what God said in Jeremiah 42:10-18.
1 Nephi 7:15; “Now behold, I say unto you that if ye will return unto Jerusalem ye shall also perish with them. And now, if ye have choice, go up to the land, and remember the words which I speak unto you, that if ye go ye will also perish; for thus the Spirit of the Lord constraineth me that I should speak.”
Conditional Love
Sadly, this is a story of a god who only provides based on conditions, and his conditional, short lived love, is evidence he has no patience.
Alma 36:30; “But behold, my son, this is not all; for ye ought to know as I do know, that inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall prosper in the land; and ye ought to know also, that inasmuch as ye will not keep the commandments of God ye shall be cut off from his presence. Now this is according to his word.”
Broken Promises
The Book of Mormon habitually gives the reader a quick thrill of hope for the good guy, only to be let down by the end of the chapter that their faith and works were all for naught. It seems no one knew how to keep a promise. (Alma 50:21)
The “Jesus” of the Book of Mormon promises his church will always survive. This is obviously a lie since it died out by 421 AD.
Alma 34:10; “For it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice.”
Alma 45:22-23; “Therefore, Helaman and his brethren went forth to establish the church again in all the land, yea, in every city throughout all the land which was possessed by the people of Nephi. And it came to pass that they did appoint priests and teachers throughout all the land, over all the churches.23 And now it came to pass that after Helaman and his brethren had appointed priests and teachers over the churches that there arose a dissension among them, and they would not give heed to the words of Helaman and his brethren.”
3 Nephi 11:39; “Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them.”
Holy Spirit’s Departure
The authors (Joseph Smith and friends) seem obsessed by giving repetitive, simplistic accounts of murderous bloodshed, and venomous hatred between two sets of people groups who can’t seem to behave more than a half dozen verses. Each war is more violent than before, and the promise of the Holy Spirit being with them, vanishes into thin air on several occasions.
Moroni 9:4; “Behold, I am laboring with them continually; and when I speak the word of God with sharpness they tremble and anger against me; and when I use no sharpness they harden their hearts against it; wherefore, I fear lest the Spirit of the Lord hath ceased striving with them.”
And it Came to Pass…
Just when you think you might gain further insight into one of the wars, or travels by the Nephites or Lamanites, you’re met with the overused phrase “And it came to pass”; meaning no further light will be shed on that subject.
Mormon 2:25-26; “And it came to pass that we did contend with an army of thirty thousand against an army of fifty thousand. And it came to pass that we did stand before them with such firmness that they did flee from before us. 26 And it came to pass that when they had fled we did pursue them with our armies, and did meet them again, and did beat them; nevertheless the strength of the Lord was not with us; yea, we were left to ourselves, that the Spirit of the Lord did not abide in us; therefore we had become weak like unto our brethren.”
Sin is necessary
One of Mormonism’s biggest lies is taught in the second book of Nephi. It is here you will find the damnable heresy that the fall of man was a necessary step in the life of mankind.
2 Nephi 2:25; “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.”
Man is from Dust of the Earth
Another lie can be found in the book of Mosiah, which contradicts the Mormon philosophy that man is an eternal being.
Mosiah 2:25; “And now I ask, can ye say aught of yourselves? I answer you, Nay. Ye cannot say that ye are even as much as the dust of the earth; yet ye were created of the dust of the earth; but behold, it belongeth to him who created you.”
Ship Building
One of their prophets had to remind God how to build a ship properly, so they could sail here to the Jewish “promised land” of America. This supposedly took place c. 2240 BC, which is the same timeframe of the Tower of Babel. Mind you, this was before the Israelites were in existence. Abraham was born around 1800 BC.
Ether 2:20; “And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: Behold, thou shalt make a hole in the top, and also in the bottom; and when thou shalt suffer for air thou shalt unstop the hole and receive air. And if it be so that the water come in upon thee, behold, ye shall stop the hole, that ye may not perish in the flood.”
River Sidon, Dead Bodies and Baptisms
There are times when the authors give you cryptic insights as to their location without divulging any geographical clues. Bodies were dumped “into the river”, more than once.
Alma 2:34; “And thus he cleared the ground, or rather the bank, which was on the west of the river Sidon, throwing the bodies of the Lamanites who had been slain into the waters of Sidon, that thereby his people might have room to cross and contend with the Lamanites and the Amlicites on the west side of the river Sidon.”
Alma 4:4; “And they began to establish the church more fully; yea, and many were baptized in the waters of Sidon and were joined to the church of God…”
God Stops Communications
Many times one of the “authors” of a book will tell the reader what God has shared with them is too holy, or sacred to share with others, or they’ll let us know that someday maybe someone will be able to share the great things of their god with everyone.
2 Nephi 32:7; “And now I, Nephi, cannot say more; the Spirit stoppeth mine utterance, and I am left to mourn because of the unbelief, and the wickedness, and the ignorance, and the stiffneckedness of men; for they will not search knowledge, nor understand great knowledge, when it is given unto them in plainness, even as plain as word can be.”
Told to Write because of His Father – Not Inspired
On numerous occasions, one of the “prophets” from the Book of Mormon will tell everyone it is through his own insight, or the insight of his father, he is writing the story he’s about to share. Obviously, if it’s the idea of the author, it is not God-inspired.
1 Nephi 6:3; “And it mattereth not to me that I am particular to give a full account of all the things of my father, for they cannot be written upon these plates, for I desire the room that I may write of the things of God.”
Omni 1:1; “Behold, it came to pass that I, Omni, being commanded by my father, Jarom, that I should write somewhat upon these plates, to preserve our genealogy—”
Jarom 1:1-2; “Now behold, I, Jarom, write a few words according to the commandment of my father, Enos, that our genealogy may be kept.”
Jacob 1:2; “And he gave me, Jacob, a commandment that I should write upon these plates a few of the things which I considered to be most precious…”
Moroni 10:1; “Now I, Moroni, write somewhat as seemeth me good; and I write unto my brethren, the Lamanites…”
Mormon 8:5; “Behold, my father hath made this record, and he hath written the intent thereof. And behold, I would write it also if I had room upon the plates, but I have not; and ore I have none, for I am alone.”
Not Enough Materials Available to Write “Scripture”
Sometimes they’ll explain they don’t have the space to write what they should, or they can’t write everything because they’ve changed the language – don’t laugh, I’m serious. How is this inspired?
Jarom 1:2; “And as these plates are small, and as these things are written for the intent of the benefit of our brethren the Lamanites, wherefore, it must needs be that I write a little; but I shall not write the things of my prophesying, nor of my revelations. For what could I write more than my fathers have written? For have not they revealed the plan of salvation? I say unto you, Yea; and this sufficeth me.”
Mormon 9:32-33; “And now, behold, we have written this record according to our knowledge, in the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech. 33 And if our plates had been sufficiently large we should have written in Hebrew; but the Hebrew hath been altered by us also; and if we could have written in Hebrew, behold, ye would have had no imperfection in our record.”
Bereft of Details
Unlike many Bibles, there are no reputable concordances, or dictionaries provided that could shed light on the meaning of names, or places. Missing are the important stories of Jewish traditions of feasts, or festivals, in the Book of Mormon. Detailed accounts of how the priests performed sacrifices in any of the synagogues or temples, are glaringly non-existent. Passover is nowhere to be found in the Book of Mormon. The sound of chirping crickets comes to mind when I think about detailed information in the Book of Mormon.
There is nothing to suggest anyone was keeping an orthodox covenant relationship, with the One True God of the Bible. You will not read of one single account where the righteous Nephites were offering an animal sacrifice to God, to cover for anyone’s sins.
Names
Most of the fictional names for its cast of characters, are not Hebrew. One has a Yankee name of Sam, at least two have Greek names (Timothy and John), and the rest are the product of Joseph Smith’s wild imagination.
Nephi, Jacob, Enos, Jarom, Omni, Mormon, Mosiah, Alma, Helaman, Ether, Moroni, Seth, Sam, Samuel, Laman…for a complete list of names see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Book_of_Mormon_people
Words/Phrases Used at Inappropriate Times
Words and phrases are used inappropriately for the timeframe they’re supposedly living in, or they’re used excessively. An example of the latter is the word “exceedingly” being used 327 times, and the Greek word Christ, being used in the BC era, 191 times. See Greek and Latin in the Book of Mormon.
2 Nephi 31:10; “And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?” – BC 559
Mosiah 5:9; “And it shall come to pass that whosoever doeth this shall be found at the right hand of God, for he shall know the name by which he is called; for he shall be called by the name of Christ.” – BC 124
Not a god of Comfort
I would have to say, the demeanor of the god of Mormonism can be safely portrayed in Helaman 12:3;
“And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him.”
That verse my friend, is a reflection of the kind of god they are worshiping. He’s a vindictive, malcontent, legalistic, brute of a god. The longer I’m out of Mormonism, the more grateful I am for the One True God, who saved me! I can’t see where any Mormon could find hope for themselves in any of the books, nor am I convinced they could stay awake while reading it.
Don’t Worry about Accuracy, or History
The Church will tell you this is not a book about historical accuracy or figures.
Ensign, Jan. 1997, p. 38; “Our primary focus in studying the Book of Mormon should be on the principles of the gospel anyway, not on the process by which the book came forth.” – Neal A. Maxwell
Boyd K. Packer, “The Mantle is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect”, 1981, BYU Studies, Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 259-271; “Church history can be so interesting and so inspiring as to be a very powerful tool indeed for building faith. If not properly written or properly taught, it may be a faith destroyer… “There is a temptation for the writer or the teacher of Church history to want to tell everything, whether it is worthy or faith promoting or not…Some things that are true are not very useful.”
They’ll tell you it’s a book that points more to the message of believing in Christ. If you can’t trust, or believe in the historical aspect of this writing, how in the world could anyone believe in its message of redemption from the sinless, perfect God of the Bible?
“And it Came to Pass”
Below you’ll find a list of each time the phrase “and it came to pass” occurs. See the article ‘And It Came To Pass‘.
We found it was used 1,384 times, in 1,341 verses. And in case you’re wondering…there are 6,604 verses in the Book of Mormon*. Yeah, that means twenty percent of the verses in the Book of Mormon contains the phrase “and it came to pass”. Maybe Mark Twain was on to something…
For other interesting facts on words used in the Book of Mormon, see our article on Greek and Latin words, demonic names in the Book of Mormon and archaeological evidences in the Book of Mormon here:
http://www.lifeafter.org/greeklatin.asp
http://www.lifeafter.org/demonic_names.asp
http://www.lifeafter.org/artifacts.asp
With Love in Christ;
Michelle Grim
1 Cor. 1:18
Posted in Book of Mormon; Fullness of the Gospel? on 04/01/2011| 5 Comments »
Book of Mormon: The Fullness of the Gospel?
“Lord Increase Our Faith”, page 64; “The real focus on the Book of Mormon should be on the details of the book itself, not on the details of the process by which it came forth. Although we do not know everything about the process of its coming forth or its translation, the Book of Mormon is open to full scrutiny.” – Neal A. Maxwell
Ensign, May 2007, pg. 88; “This ancient volume of holy scriptures is a sacred companion to the Bible, containing the fulness of the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ.” – L. Tom Perry
My objective in this article is for members of the LDS Church to ponder the information presented here and honestly ask themselves if it makes sense the Book of Mormon is from God. While I don’t agree with Mr. Maxwell’s opinion on how people should view the Book of Mormon (Galatians 1:6-9), we’re going to take him up on what he said about it being open to full scrutiny.
All right, so I have an obsession with the book of Jeremiah; I’ll be the first to admit it! If you’re a Mormon, have you ever read the book of Jeremiah? There’s an important lesson to be learned in Jeremiah 36:20-32. King Jehoiakim had decided he didn’t like God’s written word so he cut it up and burned it thinking that would take care of God, but he was sorely mistaken.
I believe it was Matthew Henry who said “Those who hate it always seem to do things like this in life” …they either try to destroy or discredit God’s very words.
It was 600 BC and the prophet Jeremiah had been warning the Israelites for forty years that danger was lurking. He told them God had an important message He wanted for them to hear and if they obeyed Him they wouldn’t lose their lives. Times would be tough, but if they fled for Egypt on their own seeking safety, they would die by sword, famine or pestilence. If they stayed put in Jerusalem (Jer. 42:10) God would protect their lives in the upcoming onslaught of the Babylonian takeover. While they were in captivity for a time, there was a small remnant that was allowed to remain seventy years later.
The certifiably insane King Nebuchadnezzar (descendant of Queen of Sheba and Solomon) marched the Israelites out of Jerusalem, chained some of them nude alongside a river while partying on a boat nearby and eventually went totally mad, living with animals. He too hated God and turned the sacred scrolls into sacks filled with sand for the captive Israelites to carry into Egypt. No one escaped his wrath. (Eventually Nebuchadnezzar repented and worshipped God.)
Now some 2,400 years later we have the story of Joseph Smith and the “golden plates” which he said contains the “fullness of the gospel”, otherwise known as the Book of Mormon. I have wondered more than once what Smith was looking at inside the hat he stared into for the messages from God. Was there ever a prophet in the Bible that did such a thing?
One of the remarkable events about this story is the timeline. It’s the story of a lost tribe of Israelites fleeing Jerusalem in 600 BC and guess what? Yep, they’re headin’ for Egypt, seeking safety from the fall of Jerusalem.
Okay, foregoing the arguments, let’s say God told everyone but this lost tribe of “Nephites” to stay put in Jerusalem; what about Joseph Smith’s other assertion about the Book of Mormon?
He said a lot of things about this work so his claims should be investigated as Mr. Maxwell suggests. It’d be amazing if anyone escaped the wrath of Nebuchadnezzar, so these plates should be of significant value if true, right?
What do these brass plates tell us? Does the Book of Mormon contain the “fullness of the gospel”? Remember, parts of these plates are supposedly what the Nephites hauled over to the States when they sailed here.
Let’s begin with what Doctrine and Covenants 19:26, 27:5 and 135:3 says:
“And again, I command thee that thou shalt not covet thine own property, but impart it freely to the printing of the Book of Mormon, which contains the truth and the word of God—”
“Behold, this is wisdom in me; wherefore, marvel not, for the hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth, and with Moroni, whom I have sent unto you to reveal the Book of Mormon, containing the fulness of my everlasting gospel, to whom I have committed the keys of the record of the stick of Ephraim.”
“Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents; has sent the fulness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth…”
As you can see, we have confirmation through the prophecies above; the Church does believe it’s the “fullness of the gospel”. Now in light of those prophecies by Smith, we need to compare them with what the Bible says about prophets and prophecies, in addition to looking at a few core Mormon doctrines and see if they’re in the Book of Mormon. If they’re not found on those plates, we ask in all sincerity – how can this be the fullness of the gospel if it doesn’t contain all the requirements for salvation?
What the Bible Says:
Deuteronomy 18:20-22; “But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. 21 And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? 22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.”
Deuteronomy 13:1-5; “If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, 2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; 3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. 5 And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.”
Mormons believe a true and full salvation can only be attained in the highest kingdom of heaven which they call the “Celestial Kingdom”. The Celestial Kingdom is reserved solely for those who have been found worthy enough to become a god themselves after they have accomplished a number of works here on earth. Below are a handful of requirements and beliefs each Mormon needs for a true salvation in the Mormon Church.
What the Mormon Church Says:
Church Government
3 Nephi 12 says the twelve Nephite apostles received power to share the gospel, baptize and give the gift of the Holy Ghost. This is the closest we come to anything resembling the hierarchy we see in the Mormon Church today.
There is no “first presidency”, no quorum of the seventies, no bishops, no bishopric, no wards, no branches, no stakes and no stake presidents, no area presidency…compare it with what the Bible says about church structure:
1 Corinthians 10:32, 12:9-10, 18, 29, 30; Acts 13:1, Romans 12:8, Ephesians 2:20, 3:5, 4:11
God
Father God has a body of flesh and bones – D&C 130:22
God was once a man. – HC 6:305, Gospel through the Ages, pg. 105
God has many wives/Mother gods – Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, pg. 25
God has a father – Gospel Truth, pg. 101; The Seer by Orson Pratt, pg. 132; Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 38
God had sex with Mary – Journal of Discourses 4:218 – Brigham Young, February 8, 1857; Journal of Discourses 1:50-51, 8:115, 11:268
God progresses/Eternal progression – Distinct Doctrines and Teachings of the Pearl of Great Price, pg. 76; Gospel through the Ages, pgs. 114-115; Articles of Faith, pg. 390
Three Separate Personages in Godhead – Mormon Doctrine, pg. 576; D&C 130:22-23; Encyclopedia of Mormonism, pg. 552; Mormon Doctrine of Deity, pgs. 9-10; History of the Church 6:474, June 16, 1844
gods/polytheism
Many gods and councils of gods – Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 348; Abraham 4:25
Man may become a god – Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pgs. 136-137; Gospel through the Ages, pgs. 105-106; D&C 76:58, TPJS 342-345
Man is a god in embryo – Miracle/Forgiveness, pg. 3
Heaven
Three levels of heaven. – Encyclopedia of Mormonism, pg. 367; D&C 131:1-4
Jesus
Jesus chosen to become a god – Mormon Doctrine, pg. 129, Abraham 3:27-28
Jesus and Lucifer are brothers – Jesus the Christ, pg. 8; Gospel through the Ages, pg. 15
Jesus was Married – Journal of Discourses 2:82, 2:210, 4:259-260
Jesus was a polygamist – Jesus was Married by Ogden Kraut, pg. 27; Journal of Discourses 13:309
Jesus Crucified for Polygamy – Journal of Discourses 1:346
Polygamy
Polygamy is true salvation – D&C 131:1-4, 132:4-6, 20-21; Journal of Discourses 5:204 & 282, 11:269, 12:262, 13:167-168, 13:189, 17:225; Doctrines of Salvation 2:67; Mormon Doctrine, pg. 219; Evidences and Reconciliations, pg. 390; Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 332…
Pre-existence
Elohim populating earth through sexually begotten spirit children –
Discourses of Brigham Young, pg. 24;
D&C 49:17, 93:23-29, 138:55-56;
Mormon Doctrine, pg. 516;
Abraham 3:22-28;
Journal of Discourses 4:216;
Melvin Joseph Ballard, Sermons and Missionary Services, page 247;
Answers: Straightforward Answers to Tough Gospel Questions, pgs. 5-6;
Life Before, pg. 91;
For Behold Ye are Free, pg. 42;
Ensign, November 1997, pg. 65;
Way to Perfection, pg. 29…
Salvation
Temple marriage a requirement for exaltation – Teens, Temple Marriage and Eternity, pg. 1; Doctrines of Salvation 2:62; D&C 131:1-4
President of Church Holds Keys to – Mormon Doctrine, pg. 591
Salvation after Death
Book of Mormon – none is available after death – 2 Nephi 9:15, 38; Alma 12:13-14, 34:31-34, 42:22-23
Other LDS teachings say it is necessary
Baptism for the dead – D&C 124:29-30, 128:15; Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 191; History of the Church 4:568-569; Encyclopedia of Mormonism, pg. 1258; Are Mormons Christians? pg. 19; Doctrines of Salvation 2:175…
As the reader can plainly see, not one of those core doctrinal teachings is in the Book of Mormon. The list here is brief in comparison to the hordes of all their teachings. What we’ve presented here is enough to show the Book of Mormon certainly doesn’t stand up to the claims Joseph Smith and other Church leaders have made.
How can the Book of Mormon contain the “fullness of the gospel” if their teachings are not to be found in the Book of Mormon?
If you’re LDS we want you to know that we pray diligently for you each and every day. We hope you’ll investigate these claims for yourself and see that God is not a God of confusion as it says in 1 Cor. 14:33. Ask yourself and your leaders why there is such a huge contradiction in what D&C says and what the Book of Mormon doesn’t say.
Above all that, whether you know it or not, God truly does love you, my friend. My prayer for you as a Mormon is for you to accept His unending love and wrap yourself in His truth.
With Love in Christ —
Michelle ✟
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